A lush scene of rhododendrons flowering over an Appalachian mountain scape of mixed, recycled media and towering oak trees immerses viewers of the Reece Grove Mixed Media Experience exhibition.
“Art makes us happy campers! There is always a sense of fulfillment and joy when artists get to make things—and the only thing better than that is getting to share that with others in a creative setting,” stated Spenser Brenner, Reece Museum exhibition coordinator, and Ashley Gregg, Reece Museum assistant, on the 13 Renaissance campers that created the exhibit.
The Renaissance Camp consisted of 13 campers from the region that were given an arboretum tour by Dr. Tim McDowell, biological sciences professor. However, the exhibit flourished through the campers’ own interest in the many floras and faunas of the region.
The exhibition was inspired by the plant and animal life of the Appalachia region and was created through a sustainable process of using recycled mixed media. The exhibit includes a flourishing scene of tree murals, a running river, tree sculptures with colorful branching and three-dimensional depictions of forest life. The museum also immerses the viewer with a sound machine of running water and whimsical, whistling birds.
“We provided the materials and designed the camp to have a partial focus on recycling. We saved up paper tubes, excess museum materials as well as items from home to be used in the camp. We were proud to introduce the campers to new and creative ways to think about re-use and recycling, particularly for artistic endeavors,” stated Brenner and Gregg.
The Renaissance Camp branches from the ETSU Office of Professional Development, for children of all age groups that encourages more hands-on approaches towards learning science, math, computer sciences and artistic endeavors. The camp ran through June 6 to 10 and included students ranging from seventh-grade and eighth-grade.
“The campers learned to collaborate and develop a sense of how they could hone their own interests and skills to contribute to the group. The campers thrived throughout the camp but once the exhibition was completed, there was an overall sense of accomplishment from the thirteen campers. The enjoyment for each respective camper was dependent on their own individual interests, we had one camper who really enjoyed making sculpture, another who loved to paint, each had a unique experience,” stated Brenner and Gregg.
The Reece Grove Mixed Media Experience exhibition is currently on display at the Reece Grove Museum, which is open for viewing Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This exhibition is on display now until September 23. For more information, visit https://go.activecalendar.com/etsu/site/arts/event/reece-grove-a-mixed-media-experience-4/
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